After making history in Paris, Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins is heading home to London hoping to add an Olympic gold medal to go with his yellow jersey.
The first Briton to win cycling’s showcase event will start the Olympic time trial on August 1 as a big favourite for the gold, after dominating the event twice during the Tour de France.
The 32-year-old Londoner showed during the Tour that he can beat all comers in the race-against-the-clock, even after 2,175 miles of racing over three weeks in one of the ultimate endurance tests in all of sports.
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After donning his winner’s yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysees, Wiggins immediately began turning his focus to his Olympic race in just over a week. He even promised to forgo the Tour winner’s traditional glass of champagne.
“Everything turns to the Olympics and I’ll be out on the bike tomorrow and I’ve got an Olympic time trial to try and win,” Wiggins said.
Sacrificing the traditional Tour winner’s party was difficult but necessary, Wiggins said, because winning in his home Olympics “is a higher priority than anything else.”
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“It’s a little weird to leave Paris without a party because it would be nice to spend time with the team and really enjoy it,” Wiggins said.